Shirt packaging



July 10, 1956 T. H. GOLDEN SHIRT PACKAGING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 12, 1954 INVENTOR. THOMAS H GOLDEN ATTORNEY$ July 10, 1956 T. H. GOLDEN SHIRT PACKAGING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 12, 1954 FIG. H.

FIG. IO.

R E mD N W0 W6 H M M w T ATTORNEYS SHIRT PACKAGING Thomas H. Golden, Pottsville, Pa., assignor to Phillips- .lones Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 12, 1954, Serial No. 442,483

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates generally to packaging of shirts, including sport shirts, knit T-shirts, pajama tops, pajama bottoms, and other garments which are easily creased or distorted in transit or when kept on the shelf of a retailer. It is particularly directed to a novel article and method for use in packaging said garments, and also embraces an improved packaged garment resulting from employment of such article and method. Without limitation thereto the invention is exemplified by the packaging of shirts.

Heretofore, as is well known to those versed in shirt manufacturing, considerable difiiculty has been experienced packaging shirts to withstand the necessary handling, climatic variations, and other conditions occurring before sale to the ultimate consumer, all without adversely affecting the appearance, feel and general saleability of the shirts. One common device which has been employed to prevent creasing and wilting of packaged shirts is that of cardboard inserts. However, this is undesirable in that an unnaturally stifl shirt appearance is afforded and the inserts are readily subject to bending and breaking. It has also been attempted to preserve the neat and attractive appearance of packaged shirts by means of chemical stiffening agents; however this has not proved satisfactory for reasons similar to those mentioned above, and is practically useless under extreme conditions of temperature and humidity.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to overcome the above noted difliculties and provide a method of packaging shirt and articles for use therein, which produce a packaged shirt soft and full in feel and appearance, and capable of withstanding considerable abuse during transportation and storage, as well as at the point of sale, without becoming creased or wrinkled.

it is another object of the present invention to provide a simple, rapid and eiiicient method of packaging shirts, in which a sheet of soft, flexible material is manipulated to fill the packaged shirt and afford the latter substantial thickness and body without an unnaturally stiff appearance.

It is a further object of the present invention to profide an article for use in packaging shirts which is extremely simple in construction and capable of being economically manufactured by mass production techniques. In addition, the article of the present invention combines with a shirt, providing a resilient filler therefor, to maintain the shirt soft, full-bodied, and free of wrinkles until the article is removed.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be in dicated in the appended claims.

Patented July 10, 1956 In the drawings:

Figure l is a rear perspective view of the article of the present invention, one corner being turned up for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear view showing a shirt and the filler device of Fig. l in an early stage of the packaging method of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the shirt and filler in an intermediate stage of the packaging method;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the shirt and filler device at a later stage of the packaging method;

Fig. 7 is a front view showing a shirt packaged in accordance with the present invention, the filler device being illustrated in dashed outline; and

Fig. 8 is a rear perspective view showing the filler device in its operative condition, but removed from the shirt;

Fig. 9 is a rear perspective View of the tiller device provided with a modified form of stay, one corner of the filler member being turned up similarly to Fig. 1, for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 4;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 1111 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 7, the modified form of stay being illustrated in dashed outline.

Referring now more particularly to the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 8, the invention illustrated therein comprises a composite or laminated filler device, generally designated 10, including a generally rectangular,

soft flexible sheet or padding 11, and a backing sheet or layer 12, which is coextensive with and secured to one side of the padding sheet.

The padding sheet 11 is formed of a plurality of superposed layers 14, preferably soft and flexible tissue paper or soft and porous and unsized fibrous cellulose material. This sheet 11 is advantageously cockled, puckered or wrinkled, as best seen in Fig. 3, to provide the padding sheet 11 with increased thickness, softness and resiliency. The layers 14 are crimped and fastened together at spaced apart portions 15, and thus secured to each other at the areas 15 in their superposed relation without decreasing the desired softness and flexibility of the entire sheet 11.

The backing layer 12 is preferably fabricated of a sheet of impervious glassine paper having high flexibility and strength, and is secured in facing engagement to the rearmost layer 14 of the padding sheet 11, as by gluing or other suitable securing means. Thus, the backing layer 12 reinforces and strengthens the padding sheet 11, and prevents stretching of the puckered layers 14 without decreasing the softness and flexibility of the padding sheet 11.

As noted hereinbefore, the padding sheet 11 and the coextensive backing layer 12 are preferably rectangular 1n configuration. Along one end margin of the backing layer 12 is secured a stiffening member or stay 17. The stay may be fabricated of cardboard or other suitable, relatively stiif material, and may be generally rectangular in shape, being disposed transversely of the backing layer. The invention is not limited to a stay of rectangular shape. Thus, the stay 17 is secured to the outer or rearward face of the backing sheet 12, along one end edge thereof, and has its ends spaced inwardly from the side edges of the backing layer.

In the shirt packaging method of the present inven tron (see Fig. 4), a shirt of any type is buttoned or otherwise closed, and spread out in the conventional manner. The filler device 10 is then positioned rearwardly of the shirt with the padding sheet 11 forwardly and in facing engagement with the back of the shirt. The stay 17 provides a stiffened filler portion which is arranged uppermost in the region of the shirt shoulders and neck.

With the filler device in this position, the left side 19' of the shirt 1% is folded rearwardly along a generally vertical fold line spaced somewhat inwardly of the filler device. Thus, upon rearward folding of the left shirt side 19, the left filler margin 20 will be simultaneously folded rearwards into overlying relation with respect to the adjacent filler portion. As the stay 17 is spaced in wardly from the side edges of the filler. device, it is apparent that the entire left hand margin 20 may be folded rearwardly without obstruction upon rearward folding of the left shirt side, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Similarly, the right shirt side 22 is folded rearwardly along a generally vertical fold line which is spaced inwards from the right filler edge, so that the right side margin 23 of the filler device 16 is folded rearwardly to overlie the adjacent filler portion upon rearward folding of the right shirt side. This stage of the process is clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

The next step of the method is illustrated in Fig. 6 in which the lower shirt portion 25 is folded rearwardly along a substantially horizontal fold line spaced upwardly from the lower filler edge. Thus, upon rearward folding of the lower shirt portion, the lower margin 26 of the filler device is simultaneously folded rearwards into overlying relation with respect to the adiacent filler device portion. Of course, the lower edge portions 27 of the shirt 13 may be folded inwards, if desired, so as to conceal all free edges.

It will now be understood, and is clearly illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein the folded filler device is shown removed from the packaged shirt, that the side and bottom portions of th filler device are of double thickness so as to afford substantially increased body and substance to the packaged shirt. Further, as the padding sheet 11 is disposed exteriorly of the folded margins, the edges of the folded filler device will serve to softly and resiliently reinforce the vertical and horizontal folds of the packaged shirt, while the stay 17 firmly maintains the shoulder and neck region of the shirt in distended condition.

As the filler device 10 substantially completely fills the packaged shirt of the present invention, and as the padded sheet 11 faces forwardly toward the front of the shirt, it will be understood that the shirt front is afforded a soft resilience adapted to prevent creasing, wrinkling and wilting of the shirt material, so long as the shirt remains in its packaged condition.

Without limitation thereto, and as one preferred working example, the backing layer 12 may be formed of glassine paper or super-calendered paper which is waterrepellent, or kraft paper.

The combined or composite sheet 10 is easily flexible and bendable so that it doubles along its long sides, under its own weight, in flat form, and also when said composite sheet 10 is doubled at its longitudinal edges. However, when the packing device is combined with the shirt or other garment, the assembled shirt and packing device, although bendable, does not wrinkle the shirt when it is bent, and the assembled shirt and packing device have a soft and flexible feel, and when the assembled shirt and packing device are laid flat after being picked up by the customer, the shirt remains unwrinkled and retains its neat appearance.

The filler device shown in Figs. 9-12, is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1-8, save that the former is provided with a modified form of stay. The laminated filler device 28 is precisely the same as the filler device 10 previously described. However, Fig. 9 shows a modified form of stay which has a body 29 and a projecting tab 30, which is bendable along the line 31. The stay, like the other stay 17 shown herein in Figs. l8, can be made of cardboard or other suitable flexible and bendable material which is sufhciently stiff to have a normal shape. When the stay of Fig. 9 is used, the tab 29 is inserted between the neckband N of the shirt and the top or outer band of the shirt, at the rear of the shirt.

The shirt packaging method with the filler device 28 having the modified form of stay shown in Fig. 9 is precisely similar to that of the filler device 10 previously described. in this respect, Fig. 10 of the second embodiment corresponds to Fig. 4 of the first embodiment; Fig. 11 to Fig. 3; and Fig. 12 to Fig. 7.

The only additional step in the assembly of the filler device 28 with the shirt over that of the filler device iii, is the insertion of the tab 30 between the neckband N of the shirt and the top or outer band of the shirt, at the rear thereof. The provision of the fold line 31 in stay 29 permits bending of tab 30 without breaking of the stay or tab.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a novel method of shirt packaging and filler devices adapted for use therein, which fully accomplish their intended objects, and which are well adapted to meet practical manufacturing, shipping and handling conditions.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Whenever a shirt is mentioned in any claim herein, this includes all garments and parts of garments, which, as previously mentioned, are easily creased or distorted in transit and handling or when kept on the shelf of a retailer, because the material can be easily wrinkled or crumpled.

What is claimed is:

l. in a packaged shirt having its sides and lower portion folded rearwardly, a sheet comprising a plurality of soft, flexible tissue papers secured together at a plurality of spaced points to a backing of relatively strong paper coextensive with said sheet, said sheet being interposed between the back of said shirt and said rearwardly folded sides and lower portion to increase the body appearance of said folded shirt, the side and bottom margins of said sheet being folded rearwardly along the folds of said shirt sides and lower portion to increase the thickness and body of said shirt along said folds, and a stiffening member secured to the rearward face of said sheet along the upper margin of the same and transversely thereof to firmly distend the uppermost region ofthe neck and shoulders of said shirt when the same is folded into a package.

2. In a packaged shirt as in claim 1, said stiffening member including integral body and tab portions bendable relative to each other, said body portion serving to distend the neck and shoulder region of the folded shirt and said tab portion being insertable in the neckband to support the collar in the desired bended position relative to the neck and shoulder region.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,826,206 Farrelly Oct. 6, 1931 2,399,564 Nimetz Apr. 30, 1946 2,620,950 Jacobson Dec. 9, 1952 2,632,564 Bloom Mar. 24, 1953 2,661,835 Grishaber Dec. 8, 1953 

